The Reflex - Beta Kit Car

[Beta-Blocker]

Noooooooo....got outbid by £10...!!.....

[peteracs]

The way of the world sometimes, keep in touch with the vendor and ideally get the buyers details as you never know, Ebay deals often fall apart.......

Peter

[HFStuart]

Great photos. Fascinating.

The 'engineering' that went into that is rather more basic than I'd have expected !

[Beta-Blocker]

The best engineering is often not complicated in it`s structure...look at a Lotus...simple chassis, just as Colin Chapman wanted.....The centre structure of the Reflex is a box-type arrrangement so is naturally strong...
Yes, I`ll get the winners number and e-mail from the guy....actually , he was a bit upset that I hadn`t won it , as we got on very well, like-minded biker folk..... 

[Nigel]

Hi Beta-Blocker!
I was with you that Sunday.

Did you ever have any joy in finding out where this car went?

Only for interest.....

Regards

Nigel

[wheelies]

Has this kit car been developed by mike spence?
I had a thema H200, same colour similar styling body kit with the fin type mouldings up to the wheel arches and the 5 spoke mag alloy wheels similar to the thema Ferrari 8/32 5 spokes. In fact I still have the spanner to take off the huge centre nut.
Looks like a great project

[mja_esq]

Hi to everyone in this thread. I would really like to try and purchase a reflex kit car (the earlier the better). Would anyone be able to help me contact an owner to see if i can tempt them to part ways with one for a very motivated buyer? Thank you in advance!

[peteracs]

Hi All

Resurrecting this thread, anyone know of the whereabouts of any of the Reflex cars? It would have been interesting to see one at the 50th.

Peter

[Nigel]

Hi Peter,
Looks like 'Beta-Blocker' didn't find the purchaser or doesn't
get follow-up notes.
It was a seriously interesting car, one I'd have loved to see
restored. I clearly wasn't feeling brave enough at the time.

Nigel

[peteracs]

Hi Nigel

Interestingly the write ups for the company suggest 18 examples were made, with a mixture of Lancia and Ford engines. Would be good to find out how many of each were made and if any are still around.

Peter

[SanRemo78]

Oddly despite an involvement for 30 years with the kit car industry this is one I don't remember much less recall seeing! The number of shows where you might come across them has dwindled to the point that in 2022 there was only the Stoneleigh show in May and the Newark Show in July I think. Visitor numbers at Stoneleigh have been declining (Covid) and Newark was run this year for the first time in 5 or 6 years.

Since the advent of the IVA tests the number of manufacturers has declined, probably due to cars not being buildable to the required standards. Luckily it's still possible to build Stratos replicas to IVA standards!

So, apart from the Stratos replicas (Transformer/Hawk Cars, Handmade Cars, Litton and CAE) which had Beta options (I don't think it was ever offered by Lister Bell) there have been a few manufacturers who recognised the potential of the Lampredi Twin Cam and chose the Beta as a suitable donor car. Deon was another who made a Ferrari Dino replica, I think Dax may have had a Beta option for the Kamala too but most went for a Ford engine on that?

I'll ask around and see what else pops up and keep an eye open for a Reflex at the shows next year!

[Nigel]

I've just exchanged a few emails with Beta-Blocker.

It's fairly clear he doesn't know where the Reflex is, sadly.

N.

[Neil-yaj396]

There was a Ferrari Dino Beta based replica/kit car at the Beta 50 event. I'm sure that it will appear somewhere amongst Tony's photos.

[peteracs]

Hi Neil

I assume that was an early Deon kit which I had forgotten about. I saw one at the kit car show at Stonleigh years ago, but was a later one based on MR2

Peter

[peteracs]

Hi

After a bit of sleuthing I managed to track down and had a good chat with Gareth Atkinson who designed and built the Reflex cars. Sadly, the end of the story with the Reflex was not a pleasant one, but from what he told me his career eventually moved on to Germany where he worked for most of the major manufacturers. He is now retired.

Via the forum, I also made contact, by pure fluke, with his son Michael who is/was interested in getting a Reflex as well.

Interestingly there are actually two versions of the car. The early car was Beta based with approx 10 cars made, the rest, maybe 11 were Ford engine based and these were re engineered to suit the Ford engine and cannot be used with the Beta engine and subframe.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I am no further forward in finding anyone who has one. If I learn any more I will post here.

Peter

[SanRemo78]

No news to report from my contact in the kit car publications industry either but I will remind him when the new show season kicks off next year!

[peteracs]

Thanks Guy

Hopefully we may get a break in the New Year, must be some still in the U.K.

Peter

[HFStuart]

Great that you got to talk to him - did he have any affection for it?

As to there being one left we know of the eBay one and the demo car in the road test was taxed as recently as 2015 so it's likely.

I have scans of the Reflex road tests from kit car magazine if anyone would like a copy.

[peteracs]

Hi Stuart

Affection, not really as indirectly caused him major personal problems, so not an era he wanted to dwell on sadly.

Hopefully he will find some info and photos and has said he will forward on to me to allow copying and is happy for me to share them.

I will let you know if anything arrives.

Peter

[Neil-yaj396]

Perhaps worth a write up for Viva Lancia once you have all the material Peter?